Paving work starts on L Avenue south of U.S. Highway 30

Repaving work began abruptly Wednesday along U.S. Highway 30 in Boone County on a mile-long stretch of L Avenue (County Road R18) south of the U.S. highway.

The repaving project was initially set to begin in mid-July but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, projects in other regions of the state have been canceled or delayed, bringing the Boone County project forward.

“We sincerely apologize for the late notice and inconvenience that this will cause,” said Boone County Engineer Scott H. Kruse. “Every effort will be made to complete this work as soon as possible.”

A detour has been established by the Boone County Secondary Roads Department for the duration of the concrete paving project. The work by Ida Grove-based Godbersen-Smith Construction will proceed in two phases.

Phase one will be a short section of pavement that includes the intersection of Moingona Road and L Avenue and a short stretch of roadway to the south. The contractor plans to rapidly complete this smaller section and reopen the intersection to traffic.

During the closure of the intersection, traffic from Moingona Road will need to follow the detour along 240th Street between Moingona Road and L Avenue.

Once the small section of intersection work is complete, motorists will be able to take L Avenue south from Moingona Road and 230th Street while work on the next phase — between the intersection and U.S. Highway 30 — takes place.

During the period between the removal of the old pavement and the repaving operations, traffic from Moingona Road and 230th Street will be allowed to drive through the intersection on the crushed-stone base in order to travel south on L Avenue. Motorists are urged to exercise caution when traversing the intersection.

The phase of construction for work between the Moingona Road intersection and U.S. Highway 30 involes a longer stretch that in turn will take more time to complete. Traffic to and from 222nd Drive during both phases of construction will need to access their destination using 222nd Drive from U.S. Highway 30.

Detour signs will mark the recommended route to be used during the course of the construction using U.S. Highway 169 and 270th Street. The traveling public is urged to use caution during the construction of this project.